I have seen other questions of similar nature, PHP YAML Parsers, getting many upvotes, so it puzzles me a bit. It seems that when the discussion goes outside the scope of a specific language, people are afraid of "subjective wars" with unsubtantiated opinions... But I find it kind of counter-intuitive to ask for solutions in a specific language, since I haven't chosen one yet...

See blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping. Sometimes these questions slip through the cracks, and the question you cited was asked in 2008, when the rules were less strict. I've closed it as Not Constructive. In general, citing old questions as evidence that you can ask yours is not a useful tactic, since off-topic questions are not always removed from SE sites.
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Robert HarveyOct 1 '12 at 21:15

1 Answer
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Choice of technology questions are generally not welcome because there's no clearly right answer, and any answers given tend to get quickly stale. They're pretty much the post-child for the not constructive close reason:

not constructive
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

This has not always been the case, and the other question you cite from 2008 is a fine example. There have been significant debates here on meta as to how best to handle questions that would no longer be accepted, but that much time and energy has been put into when they weren't off-topic. Reducing confusion like yours is the main argument for getting rid of those old questions.

where such general question can be posed then ?. I dont share that view that it can not be constructive. like one guy saying : I did that with x,y,and z and it works. pretty constructive. but then, may be I dont see the extent of where allowing such question can lead.
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nicolasOct 3 '12 at 12:36